Play is the work and the language of the child. It is a natural part of a child’s daily development to engage in play. Pretend play is a way for kids to explore different identities, feelings, and experiences. Kids learn in play, this is where they can have a brave space to lean into feelings and experiences that may be too difficult to address or explore directly. In experiential play therapy, kids create scenarios in play and often want us to enter into those scenarios with them to work through real life situations and themes they experience but can’t easily put words to. In Experiential Play Therapy, it is through the experience of being accepted, understood, and feeling safe in play that serves to resolve the issues underlying challenging behaviors or emotions displayed by the child.